Today I’m back where it all started, revisiting my very first Guinness World Records title from October of 2015: the longest duration blindfolded juggling.
As many of you know I’ve been promoting STEM education for over a dozen years and 7 years ago I wanted to break a Guinness World Records title to create a tangible example that if you set your mind to a goal, believe in yourself, and pursue it with a passion, you can accomplish virtually anything. It has led to a wild ride.
Funnyman juggler Niels Dunkier held the record at 6 minutes 29 seconds and actually got me back into juggling by tipping me off to juggling balls I wasn’t allergic to after I met him on a Disney cruise. (Most juggling balls used to be filled with millet seed that I developed a terrible allergy to). When I finally broke the record in front of a live audience, I was so excited that when the crowd cheered I overthrew a ball and immediately dropped it extended the record just 5 seconds to just 6 minutes 34 seconds.
I came back one year later with a 22 minutes 7-second run. No one has touched that number in over 5 years.
Dubbed the blindfolded juggler by Hoda on the Today Show, I’ve gone on to break several other blindfolded world records, including some of the hardest I’ve faced: like The fastest mile run while juggling blindfolded: 7 minutes 54 seconds. (and over a third of a mile for furthest distance on foot juggling blindfolded). Even harder: the fastest 100 m dash while juggling blindfolded: 16.29 seconds. You have to stay in your lane!
Others include the fastest blindfolded juggling with 454 catches in one minute, faster than any other known cascade juggler with their eyes open. Most consecutive blindfolded juggling catches on a unicycle, and on a balance board. And some silly ones like the most socks removed in a minute while blindfolded (and yes, I practice multiple times for that one).
So after a 5-year hiatus and returning to my very first Guinness World Records title. I give you, a video I expect no one to watch in its entirety on normal speed: the longest duration blindfolded juggling – with a new mark of 32 minutes 7 seconds.
